Earlier this week governmental representatives from all Baltic Sea countries met in Copenhagen, Denmark to review current targets in the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) for the coming Ministerial Meeting on October 3rd. The Ministerial Declaration is still lacking in clear targets and deadlines for the coming years, and a number of issues remain unresolved.
Several countries are failing to take action to restore fish stocks by favoring a less ambitious language for the targets for MSY than the recently agreed basic regulation of the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Where they would like to see a text that says at MSY instead of above MSY, Denmark changed its position dramatically in the sitting session but Poland and Germany still have reservations against projections.
Furthermore, the European Commission did not want to have any specific text on possible measures that can be taken to reduce the bycatch/discards such as any references to increase selectivity of gear, temporarily or permanent closure of areas etc. as this would fall under EU legislation. The commissioner’s argument feels a bit thin given that Russia is included in HELCOM and demonstrably is not a member of EU.
Commercial interests are also hindering the publication of a Baltic-wide assessment on the threat status of species and habitats – a “Red List”. Based on the widely accepted and commonly used criteria of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Baltic cod is classified as “Vulnerable”. However, Denmark and Germany are blocking the Red List due to reservations to include the species in the red list assessment as the species is commercially exploited. Earlier this year we could see Sweden holding the same position, but who after a heavy national debate swung around.
Under pressure from other countries and NGOs, Sweden has now revised its position on eutrophication, to more effectively control over-fertilisation and excess agricultural nutrient runoff, the main cause of the yearly algae blooms in the Baltic Sea. On the issue of biodiversity, some countries’ are hesitant to implement the agreed network of Marine Protecting Areas (MPAs) within the agreed timetable.
The Action Plan to restore the Baltic Sea environment was agreed by the region’s Environment ministers in 2007 and would if implemented pave way for solving the environmental challenges of the Baltic Sea and reaching Good Environmental Status by 2021. While there is some good language in the Ministerial Declaration, it is generally lacking in terms of clear targets and deadlines for implementation.